3511 


Fish 
A  Last  Will 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 


COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


Hast  TUtH 
9 

GJilliston 


A  LAST  WILL 


<a  East  mm 
a 

WILLISTON  FISH 


BOSTON 

aifteu  TBartlett 


COPYRIGHT,    1908,   BY  ALFRED  BARTLETT 


THE   MERRYMOUNT  PRESS,   BOSTON 


Jf/l 


A  LAST  WILL 


t  was  stronger  and  cleverer, 
no  doubt,  than  other  men, and 
in  many  broad  lines  of  busi 
ness  he  had  grown  rich,  until 
his  wealth  exceeded  exagge 
ration.  One  morning, in  his  of 
fice,  he  direcled  a  request  to 
his  confidential  lawyer  to 
come  to  him  in  the  afternoon — 
he  intended  to  have  his  will 
drawn.  A  will  is  a  solemn 
matter,  even  with  men  whose 
life  is  given  up  to  business, 
and  who  are  by  habit  mindful 
of  the  future.  After  giving  this 
direction  he  took  up  no  other 

[  9  ] 


matter,  but   sat  at  his  desk 
alone  and  in  silence. 

It  was  a  day  when  summer 
was  first  new. The  pale  leaves 
upon  the  trees  were  starting 
forth  upon  the  yet  unbending 
branches.  The  grass  in  the 
parks  had  a  freshness  in  its 
green  like  the  freshness  of  the 
blue  in  the  sky  and  of  the  yel 
low  of  the  sun, — a  freshness 
to  make  one  wish  that  life 
might  renew  its  youth.  The 
clear  breezes  from  the  south 
wantoned  about,  and  then 
were  still,  as  if  loath  to  go 
finally  away.  Half  idly,  half 
thoughtfully,  the  rich  man 
wrote  upon  the  white  paper 
C  10  ] 


before  him,  beginning  what 
he  wrote  with  capital  letters, 
such  as  he  had  not  made  since, 
as  a  boy  in  school,  he  had 
taken  pride  in  his  skill  with 
the  pen: 


3ln  tbe  jRame  of  <&ol),  amen 

CHARLES  LOUNSBURY,  being 
of  sound  and  disposing  mind 
and  memory  [he  lingered  on 
the  word  memory ],  do  now 
make  and  publish  this  my  last 
will  and  testament,  in  order, 
as  justly  as  I  may,  to  distribute 
my  interests  in  the  world 
among  succeeding  men. 

And  first,  that  part  of  my 
interests  which  is  known  a- 

c  11 n 


mong  men  and  recognized  in 
the  sheep-bound  volumes  of 
the  law  as  my  property,  being 
inconsiderable  and  of  none 
account,  I  make  no  account  of 
in  this  my  will. 

My  right  to  live,  it  being  but 
a  life  estate,  is  not  at  my  dis 
posal,  but,  these  things  ex- 
cepted,  all  else  in  the  world 
I  now  proceed  to  devise  and 
bequeath. 

*5ft0ttl:  And  first,  I  give  to  good 
"^fathers  and  mothers,  but  in 
trust  for  their  children,  nev 
ertheless,  all  good  little  words 
of  praise  and  all  quaint  pet 
names,  and  I  charge  said  pa- 

C  12  3 


rents  to  use  them  justly,  but 
generously,  as  the  needs  of 
their  children  shall  require. 


:  I  leave  to  children  ex 
clusively,  but  only  for  the  life 
of  their  childhood,  all  and 
every  the  dandelions  of  the 
fields  and  the  daisies  thereof, 
with  the  right  to  play  among 
them  freely,  according  to  the 
custom  of  children,  warning 
them  at  the  same  time  against 
the  thistles.  And  I  devise  to 
children  the  yellow  shores  of 
creeks  and  the  golden  sands 
beneath  the  waters  thereof, 
with  the  dragon-flies  that  skim 
the  surface  of  said  waters, and 

c  is : 


the  odors  of  the  willows  that 
dip  into  said  waters,  and  the 
white  clouds  that  float  high 
over  the  giant  trees. 

And  I  leave  to  children  the 
long,  long  days  to  be  merry 
in, in  a  thousand  ways, and  the 
Night  and  the  Moon  and  the 
train  of  the  Milky  Way  to 
wonder  at,  but  subje6l,  nev 
ertheless,  to  the  rights  here 
inafter  given  to  lovers ;  and  I 
give  to  each  child  the  right  to 
choose  a  star  that  shall  be  his, 
and  I  direct  that  the  child's 
father  shall  tell  him  the  name 
of  it,  in  order  that  the  child 
shall  always  remember  the 
name  of  that  star  after  he  has 

c  14 : 


learned  and  forgotten  astro 
nomy. 


:  I  devise  to  boys  jointly 
all  the  useful  idle  fields  and 
commons  where  ball  may  be 
played,  and  all  snow-clad  hills 
where  one  may  coast,  and  all 
streams  and  ponds  where  one 
may  skate,  to  have  and  to  hold 
the  same  for  the  period  of  their 
boyhood.  And  all  meadows, 
with  the  clover  blooms  and 
butterflies  thereof;  and  all 
woods,  with  their  appurte 
nances  of  squirrels  and  whir 
ring  birds  and  echoes  and 
strange  noises  ;  and  all  distant 
places  which  may  be  visited, 

c  is  : 


together  with  the  adventures 
there  found,  I  do  give  to  said 
boys  to  be  theirs.  And  I  give 
to  said  boys  each  his  own  place 
at  the  fireside  at  night,  with 
all  pictures  that  may  be  seen 
in  the  burning  wood  or  coal,  to 
enjoy  without  let  or  hindrance 
and  without  any  incumbrance 
of  cares. 

tCttt :  To  lovers  I  devise  their 
imaginary  world,  with  what 
ever  they  may  need,  as  the 
stars  of  the  sky,  the  red,  red 
roses  by  the  wall,  the  snow  of 
the  hawthorn ,  the  sweet  strains 
of  music,  or  aught  else  they 
may  desire  to  figure  to  each 
[  16  ] 


other    the    lastingness    and 
beauty  of  their  love. 


:  To  young  men  jointly, 
being  joined  in  a  brave,  mad 
crowd,  I  devise  and  bequeath 
all  boisterous,  inspiring  sports 
of  rivalry.  I  give  to  them  the 
disdain  of  weakness  and  un 
daunted  confidence  in  their 
own  strength.  Though  they 
are  rude  and  rough,  I  leave  to 
them  alone  the  power  of  mak 
ing  lasting  friendships  and  of 
possessing  companions,  and  to 
them  exclusively  I  give  all 
merry  songs  and  brave  cho 
ruses  to  sing,  with  smooth 
voices  to  troll  them  forth. 

c  17  : 


tCtn :  And  to  those  who  are  no 
longer  children,  or  youths,  or 
lovers,  I  leave  Memory,  and 
I  leave  to  them  the  volumes 
of  the  poems  of  Burns  and 
Shakespeare,  and  of  other 
poets,  if  there  are  others,  to 
the  end  that  they  may  live  the 
old  days  over  again  freely 
and  fully,  without  tithe  or  di 
minution  ;  and  to  those  who  are 
no  longer  children,  or  youths, 
or  lovers,  I  leave,  too,  the 
knowledge  of  what  a  rare, 
rare  world  it  is. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stamped  below. 


10M-11-50(2555)470 


REMINGTON  RAND  -  2O 


Cjaylorcl  === 

PAMPHLET   BINDER 

-  Syracuse,   N.    Y. 
:   Stockton,    Calif. 


